Two minors critically injured in mine blast in Rajouri

A 9-year-old boy lost his right foot, eye and hand, while a 7-year-old girl suffered critical injuries in a mine blast near Thathyali village in the border area under the jurisdiction of Rajouri police station on Wednesday.

A 9-year-old boy lost his right foot, eye and hand, while a 7-year-old girl suffered critical injuries in a mine blast near Thathyali village in the border area under the jurisdiction of Rajouri police station on Wednesday.

Both the children were first rescued to army hospital by the soldiers of Sikh unit and later shifted to the district hospital.

Sources said Nazakat Ali and Gulnaz Kousher, both residents of Thathyali (Dungi Brhamna), were grazing catlle in a field near TEK headquarter of Sikh unit, when they stumbled upon an abandoned mine at about 4 pm. They started fiddling with it and it went off. Nazakat lost his right hand, eye and foot, while Gulnaz received multiple splinter injuries, including in the eyes.

Dr Chaman, superintendent at the district hospital, said that after Nazakat was being referred to Government Medical College and Hospital at Jammu for specialised treatment. Nazakat is a student of Class 2 at Pahari hostel, Manjakot, and was vacationing after the final examination. Gulnaz, too, studies in Class 2 at government primary school at Thathyali.

The police have registered a case under section 4/5 of the Explosives Act against unknown persons. Irfan Wani, Chingus police post in-charge, on Thursday visited the mishap site.

It is pertinent to mention here that in January, two siblings, Shahzeena Kousher and Khursheed Mehammod, were blown to pieces in a mysterious blast in Thanamandi tehsil in the district. The inquiry in the blast is still in progress despite the fact that district administration had initiated a magisterial inquiry in the incident with the direction to submit the report within 3 days.